John Lewis is poised to take on communications giants and mobile phone retailers in the smartphone market.
The department store is looking at selling mobile phones and offering six month free broadband deals with any purchase of a connected device, The Telegraph reported.
The move would represent a significant brand extension for John Lewis which would follow grocers including Tesco and Asda as well as specialists including Carphone Warehouse into the market.
John Lewis has enjoyed a strong year in technology products and the category is now understood to be worth more to the retailer than fashion, although profit margins are lower.
John Lewis tablet and telecoms buyer Adam Brown said: “The mobile is a market similar to broadband, with a lot of confusion for customers and in need of transparency when it comes to finding the right deal. If John Lewis is ready to move into mobile then we will, but only if, like broadband, we can do something differently.”
Brown said broadband customers are often disappointed by some rival’s “misleading and complicated offers”. John Lewis has offered the service since last year but not marketed the service aggressively.
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